Brisbane: Ahead of their upcoming Test series against Australia, Indian skipper Virat Kohli has clearly stated that they do not want to be a team that wins one odd Test match here and there like it happened during their England tour.
Emphasising on the need to cut down the mistakes they have committed in the past, the 30-year-old said that the team has the ability to change their poor track record in Australia and it is just a matter of positive approach in each and every game.
Speaking in a press conference, Kohli said, “We don’t want to be the team that wins one odd Test match here and there. We figured out our mistakes in England. The quality of cricket we played there was very high but our mistakes were as radical and that’s why we lost the games. We have the ability to compete with other teams at par. In Test cricket whichever team commit fewer mistakes, win the game. We are focusing on cutting down our mistakes.”
“Australia is always a big tour for any Indian side who come here. We played good cricket the last time but we were not able to win games. This time around, we definitely want to change that. We have the quality to do so but it boils down to how we think in each and every moment that we play on this tour,” he added.
While backing the abilities of his side, the captain also admitted that Australia are a quality side despite the absence of their two top-most batsmen- Steve Smith and David Warner. Kohli asserted that the hosts have got quality players, especially in limited-over format, who have got the ability to “do damage at any given point of time.”
“There is no doubt about the quality that they have in their side. They still have world-class cricketers. Missing out on two of their best batsmen is not an ideal thing for any team but even then they have guys, especially in the limited-over game, who can do damage at any given point of time. You can never underestimate any side. Our focus is to play good quality of cricket,” he said.
Kohli also heaped praises on pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah saying that their “understanding of the situation” keeps them one step ahead of the batsmen, most of the time.
When quizzed about Cricket Australia’s (CA) recent decision to uphold the suspension of Smith, Warner and Cameron Bancroft, the right-hand batsman ducked the question saying, “This is not my place to give an opinion.”
When the same question was asked from Australian T20I skipper Aaron Finch, he said that one has to respect the CA’s decision and move on from the matter.
“We got to respect CA’s decision on that. It would have been great for David and Steve (If the ban was lifted) but now we just got to move on,’ Finch said.
Reflecting on the playing culture of the Australian side and the impact it has had after the ball-tampering scandal, Finch said that Australians are known for playing hard and their playing style is as “intense” as it has always been.
“We are still as intense and desperate to win. Playing hard is part of the Australian way of doing it,” he said.
Talking about their recent form in the T20 internationals, Finch said that it is “frustrating” not to get the desired results despite putting your heart and soul. But at the end of the day, you have to be good enough to get back to the winning dynamic, he continued.
India and Australia are slated to begin their campaign with a T20I series which is scheduled to start from November 21.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]